


The loyal knight

by basicallyiwriteshit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Demons, Fighting, M/M, Minor Violence, Other, Sword Fighting, Swords, aka iwa-chan wreks some demons, minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 09:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6278920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basicallyiwriteshit/pseuds/basicallyiwriteshit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iwaizumi Hajime's final test to graduate his elite demon hunting school is to kill his closest friends and underclassmen. And his best friend. </p><p>...Well, demon versions of them, at least. But even with that knowledge, he still can't kill a certain brunet in the bunch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The loyal knight

Calm. Peaceful. Tranquil, even. The woods were usually a calming place for Hajime, but right now, with the rustling of leaves in _what should be_ the quiet forest, added to the pressure of the situation, Hajime would rather be anywhere else.

There’s another rustle, and Hajime knots an arrow, pulling the bow out as far as it could go as he takes careful, measured steps to the corner of a large cave in front of him. _No one else should be out here. Who the hell is out here?_ His breathing is quick, but he manages to keep his sharp intakes of breath quiet. Another rustle, and footsteps, and Hajime takes in a harsh breath before turning into the cave and preparing to let the arrow fly loose.

“ _What the_ _hell_ , _Shittykawa?_ ” Hajime slowly releases the tension on the bowstring, fingers gripping tightly around the arrow knotted on it in case it decided to fly loose and hit Tooru anyways. He thinks he might not mind if it did. Lowering the bow, he glares at the brunet, who was frozen a few feet away from the mouth of the cave, eyes wide at the sight of his best friend. “No one’s supposed to be out in the woods right now, idiot, it’s my final examination! If I pass this, I’ll be able to get into the Sendai task force when we graduate -- it’s our dream -- and now I’m going to have to report this and reschedule my examination date–”

“Iwa-chan…”

“Why are you even out here? Surely you got the notification that there was to be no one in the woods today; what, did you just choose to ignore it?”

“Iwa-chan, listen,”

“Damn it, _what_ , Oikawa?” Hajime runs a hand through his hair, frustrated with his best friend. Tooru smiles wickedly and it’s only then Hajime notices. Something’s off in the way Tooru looks. He’s…fuzzy around the edges. His smile is too– sharp.

“ _We’re_ what you’re supposed to be hunting.”

“‘ _We’re_ ’?” Iwaizumi takes a step back, scared now. Tooru laughs, throwing his head back, and suddenly figures start to materialize behind him. Hanamaki, Matsukawa, Yahaba, Kyoutani, Kindaichi, Kinumi…

Shit. _Demons_. How the _hell_ did sensei train _demons_?

“So this is my final test…” Hajime sighs, looking at the stolen faces of his closest friends and classmates, eyes lingering on that of his best friend. He’d have to kill all of them, and not go insane while doing so. Shaking his head clear, he draws his bow back once more. “Let’s get this show on the road, then.”

The Tooru demon giggles, and Hajime’s face steels. “Beat all seven of us and you win~”

Immediately, the figures become warped images of his friends, with claws, horns, or tails – anything to identify them as supernatural – and start to disperse, phasing through the walls of the cave. Hajime manages to hit the demon that looks like Yahaba in the leg with an arrow, and black blood squirts out of the wound as it falls to the ground with a cry.

Hajime expects Kyoutani to stop and help, and turns, expecting an attack; but then he remembers the demons aren’t _actually_ the people they’re imitating.Turning his attention back to the demon in front of him, he draws the sword dangling from his side and reels his arm back, although somewhat hesitantly. With one clean slice, he slits the demon’s throat, and it falls to the floor of the cave limply, black blood flowing from the cut and from its mouth and eyes. Hajime grimaces, and turns.

One down, six more to go.

Hajime turns and exits the cave, and almost immediately another demon – Kunimi – is on him, pushing him to the ground easily despite the fact that the _real_ Kunimi wouldn’t be able to do so. Hajime grunts as the air rushes out of his chest on impact, sucking in a breath as Kunimi-demon flashes razor-sharp teeth, claws like daggers digging into his side. He brings his knee up, smirking when the demon squeals and rolls off him. At least some things are the same.

Taking the opportunity, Hajime kicks himself up and stabs his sword right through the demon’s throat. For a second, he sees Kunimi’s – the _real_ Kunimi’s – eyes clear as day before they’re taken up by pooling blood in the hollows of his eye sockets. He shudders.

Hajime is bleeding, he knows that, but he pays his wounds no mind, already hearing another demon running around nearby.

“Wow. Two in the first five minutes; you’re good. But it won’t be that easy with me.”

Hajime whirls around to see Kyoutani leaning against a tree trunk, smirking at him with predatory eyes. He laughs. “You wish.”

The demon lurches forward, and Hajime jumps off to the side, grunting when he unexpectedly hits something solid. He looks up and sees Kyoutani there, snarling at him before he’s on the ground, staring up at the suddenly fierce eyes of his classmate.

“I knew you’d do that.” Kyoutani-demon pulls a clawed hand back, aiming for Hajime’s neck, and Hajime barely has time to catch it and twist it to the left before the razor-sharp claws pierce his skin. The demon smirks and Hajime glares at him.

“And I knew you’d do _that_.” He growls, rolling over so he’s on top of the demon. He doesn’t have enough time to pull out his sword, however, before they’re both on their feet and the demon is pushing him into a tree, holding him up by his collar. Hajime gasps for breath, kicking at the demon’s shins. The demon lets out a low chuckle.

“You aren’t hurting me, you know,” It sing-songs, laughing. “You’re pathetic.”

Hajime only grunts, cocking a weak fist back and hitting the demon square in the jaw. It reels back with a yowl and Hajime picks up his abandoned sword from the ground, slashing once, twice, into it’s chest, kicking out it’s knees.

“No,” Hajime growls, “You’re pathetic.”

With that, he draws his sword back, but before he can slice it’s head clear off, the demon is gone. His eyes widen, and he turns around fast, looking for the demon. It’s nowhere in sight. The forest is silent.

“Iwaizumi~”

“Iwaizumi-san~”

Hajime curses, drawing his bow. Knowing Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s fighting techniques, the demons imitating them are going to be air-born.

“Yahoo,”

Hajime curses once more at the closeness of Matsukawa’s voice, and whirls around to face the direction it came from. As predicted, Matsukawa is standing in a tree a few meters up, smug grin on his face. Quickly knotting an arrow, he’s able to send one flying into Matsukawa’s throat, sending the demon to the ground. Hanamaki is nowhere to be seen.

“Well, you’re no fun…”

Hajime gasps as a hand lands on his shoulder, turning him and pushing his against the tree branch.

“We didn’t even get to have any witty banter,” Hanamaki is wearing a fake pout, and Hajime wants to wipe it off his fucking face.

“Oh, I’m sorry; I was a bit preoccupied trying to kill you to remember the courtesy of a bit of light battle conversation. Hanamaki smirks.

“No problem, Iwaizumi, dear, you can easily make up for it~”

Hanamaki nuzzles his cheek teasingly against Hajime’s, and Hajime grumbles.

“I’d rather not.” He says darkly, his knee raising, and Hanamaki flies off him with a low growl. Hajime knots another arrow and lets it fly; it hits Hanamaki in the chest, and he stumbles back, falling to the ground. Hajime instantly pulls his sword from its sheath and jabs it into Hanamaki’s neck. The demon sputters, and blood drips from his mouth.

Hajime rips the sword back, and Hanamaki collapses onto the ground.

Silence surrounds him again, and Hajime takes a moment to catch his breath. He still had to find Kyoutani again, and Kindaichi, and– and Tooru. The tolls of battle are finally catching up with him, and his sides are _killing_ him, but he refuses to give up. Only three more to go.

“Kyoutani! Get your ass out here, let’s finish what we started!”

Silence. Hajime growls, turning in a slow circle where he stands, and startles at movement in the trees a few feet away.

“Come on, you piece of shit, let me see tat ugly face!”

Kyoutani hisses and jumps out from behind a tree, agitated. Hajime is there to meet him when he reels a clawed hand back and tries to impale his neck, his sword easily sticking through the human-like flesh. With a smirk, Hajime twists the sword in his grip and Kyoutani whines. He tries to pull his hand back, and as he does, Hajime takes the opportunity to thrust the weapon into Kyoutani’s chest. When Kyoutani growls and jumps away, Hajime grimaces. He’d only just missed the heart.

Kyoutani growls, and lunges at Hajime, and he dodges easily, only to run straight into another body. Fuck.

“Hello Iwaizumi-senpai!” Kindaichi says cheerfully, and Hajime’s eyes widen. Kyoutani is healing himself a few feet away as Kindaichi grabs him by the throat and pushes him into another tree trunk – _where the hell are all these trees coming from?_ “I hope i’m not interrupting!”

“Oh, no,” Hajime coughs, “Not at all.”

Kindaichi’s claws are piercing the flesh of his neck, and he feels blood slipping down his collarbone. Kyoutani is finally healed, only a rip in the shirt where his sword had been, dried black spread across his upper chest.

Hajime shifts and feels the weight of his sword, and he swings it back carefully before swinging up. Kindaichi lets out a yelp, and falls back, and Hajime pulls his sword up and pierces the demon’s chest, pulling back and swinging it towards Kyoutani. Kyoutani jumps back, and Hajime growls.

With a glare, Hajime rushes forward, in attempt to get him in the chest once more, only to pierce his forearm. _Good enough,_ Hajime thinks, frowning, as he prepares for an attack. His sides are aching, and his throat burns with every intake of breath, and he needs to _stop_ , but he can’t.

Kyoutani lunges at Hajime, angry now, and Hajime takes the moment of blind rage to stick his sword through his chest. Growling, he twists the blade in Kyoutani's chest, and kicks at the demon's knees. Kyoutani falls to the ground, black blood flowing out of his wound and onto Hajime’s blade, and Hajime rips the sword back. When the demon shows no signs of coming back to life, Hajime lets out a breath. His sides are killing him; he feels lightheaded, and vaguely as though he’s forgetting something.

“Oh, I hope you didn’t forget about me~” 

Ah. Right. One more.

“Come on out, you bastard! Let’s get this over with!” 

Laughter. The demon imitating Tooru tuts. “Now now, is that any way to treat your playmates, Iwa-chan? Come on, say my name.”

“No,” Hajime growls, glaring at nothing as he slowly turns in a circle. “No, I-- I won’t. You aren’t him.”

“But I won’t come out until you do; don’t you want to play with me?” Tooru laughs. “I know you do~ Come on and say my name, Iwa-chan. You said yourself, you want this to be over.”

The rustling of leaves behind him has him whirling around in a second, but all he sees is a flash of Tooru’s mop of brown hair before it’s gone, and he frowns.

“Quit messing with me, you son of a bitch! Get out here!” 

“Say my name.” 

He roars, “You’re not Oikawa!” 

Silence. Only the birds chirp, leaves rustle, and Hajime realizes his mistake; and then there’s laughter. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

Hajime stands stock still, back pressed against a tree trunk as he awaits his final test. It seems to be taking it’s damn time, and it’s rather annoying; of course Tooru would be late to his own death.

Leaves rustle behind the tree trunk, and Hajime whirls around, aiming his sword...straight at yet another tree trunk _(where the hell are all the trees coming from?)_.

“You’re a little slow to the punch there, Iwa-chan.” Hajime whirls around at the voice, and this time his sword lands directly over Tooru’s neck, and Hajime’s breath catches in his throat. 

“Sh- Shut up,” He says darkly, and Tooru laughs. _God, his laugh sounds just like the real Tooru’s._ Tooru smirks, and suddenly Hajime’s sword is being swatted away with another, and Hajime growls. “You’re playing a little dirty, aren’t you? All your friends didn’t have weapons.”

Tooru pulls his sword back, and swings it towards Hajime, but Hajime stops it with his own, deflecting it easily. “They weren’t all that smart.”

“I can see that.”

They’re a good match. Always have been. Their swings are equal in strength and the fluidity in their swings, but Hajime’s always had better stamina and he thinks he might be able to win this, if not from the nauseous feeling coming over him every swing of his blade. Hajime is scared of hurting Tooru, and even though he _knows_ the thing he’s sparing with isn’t Tooru, it’s a demon, but he just can’t help it. They looks so alike. 

The demon seems to know this, as well, because he’s got a smug look on his face, and Hajime takes the opportunity to knock the sword out of his hand, and kick his knees out. Before Tooru can grab his sword back, Hajime presses a foot on his chest and points his own at Tooru’s throat. He catches Tooru’s eyes as he draws his sword back to pierce his flesh and freezes. 

He can’t do it. He can’t do it, this is his _best friend_. He loves Tooru. If he were to somehow catch Tooru’s eyes when he...

Tooru smirks. “Come on; you killed all your other friends, why not me?” 

“Not Oikawa. Anyone but Oikawa.” _Please, anyone but Oikawa_. 

“Oh? You can’t?” Tooru doesn’t even seem phased that there’s a sword aimed at his throat and he could be killed at any moment, and it’s _so much like the real Tooru_ that Hajime feels he might vomit. Tooru clucks his tongue. “Tut tut, what if this was for the greater good?” 

Hajime gulps, and Tooru pushes the sword aside, kicking himself up. 

“Well, maybe you’d rather kill yourself then?” 

Before Hajime can respond, Tooru starts to warp, his features changing shape grotesquely as the demon changes form, and Hajime’s heart stops when it suddenly stops and he sees himself. He’s looking at his face, his body. Laughing, the demon him plucks the discarded sword from the ground and smirks over at him. 

Hajime growls at the demon. “What the hell is this?” 

“You couldn’t kill your friend, so I thought it would be easier for you if I didn’t look like him.” The demon says, and Hajime is so startled to hear his own voice he doesn’t even see as it swings it’s sword, grazing his already wounded side. With a wince, Hajime draws his sword up once more. 

“Fine.” He says,  “Let’s just get this over with.” 

If he and demon Tooru were a good match with how in sync they were, he and demon Hajime were a better one. He and the demon were identical in every move they made, and every time Hajime thinks he might even slightly graze the demon’s side, he’s blocked excellently, efficiently. The demon is fast, and strong, and now that he’s taken up Hajime’s persona, it’s more aggressive and aggitative. 

Hajime swings his sword, and the demon meets it with its own, but Hajime uses all his weight to push forward, and the demon is brought to the ground with the force. The demon rolls out of the way before Hajime can bring his sword fully down on it, and Hajime tumbles forward, the tip of his sword landing in the dirt. The demon laughs, twirling its own sword in it’s hands. 

“You’ll have to do better than that to beat me,” It says in Hajime’s low drawl, and Hajime glares at it as he regains his footing. “And maybe grow a few more centi--”

Hajime rushes the demon -- who’s acting more like Tooru than himself -- while it’s distracted, his sword piercing it’s chest. Black blood pours from the wound, around the blade, and the demon looks from the sword in it’s chest to Hajime, and back to the sword. 

“Amazing.” It scoffs, and Hajime growls at it, angling his sword to bring it to its knees. “You--” It coughs, black blood spattering it’s cheek, and Hajime grimaces. It really does liik like him. “You would actually kill yourself for him.” 

“Shut up,” Hajime says threateningly, pushing his sword in farther, so the hilt of the blade presses against its chest. A few drops of blood reach Hajime’s hand, and a burning sensation has him pulling his hand away with a hiss of pain. The demon chuckles. 

“You love him. Don’t you?” 

“I said shut up,” Hajime growls, and the demon’s smirk grows. 

“That Oikawa. You love him. You couldn’t kill him, and one day, that love -- that unwillingness to kill him -- is going to mean the end of you; are you really willing to die for him?” 

Hajime rips his sword out of the demon’s chest, aiming the tip at its neck. 

“Absolutely.” 

With that, Hajime swings his arm back, and draws it forward with all his might, effectively cutting the demon’s head off. He waits until he’s _sure_ the demon won’t get up to turn, and when he does, he throws up onto a tree trunk ( _seriously_ ). He just cut his own head off. 

Footsteps approach, and Hajime is alert once more. “I thought I’d killed all of--” 

“It’s just us! Just your advisers! Iwaizumi-san, that was brilliant! Excellent swordsmanship! Brilliant bow work! Amazing!” Hajime’s over-excitable adviser, Nanase-sensei, jumps around him with bright eyes, and he laughs a little, his injuries finally catching up with him when he feels a sharp pain in his side at the movement. 

“You were able to take on six demons--”

His other adviser, Manni-sensei, looks at Hajime with worry in his eyes, a rare thing for the elder. “Sensei--” 

“--And with no help! Such an amazing--” 

“Sensei! I think we’d better get Hajime to the--” 

Hajime doesn’t hear the rest of Manni-sensei’s sentence, however, as the world goes black and his knees buckle underneath him. 

When he awakens, he’s in his bedroom, the worst of his wounds bandaged, the minor ones healed. His head aches, and a film of cold sweat covers his skin, his sleep having been plagued by nightmares of having to either kill Tooru or die protecting him from the greater good. 

Tooru. 

Hajime’s mind races, and he trushes to get up, ignoring the dull throbbing in his head and sides. He’d somehow ended up in his pajamas, but he doesn’t care, he rushes out of his bedroom, wanting-- needing-- to see Tooru, and runs...straight into Tooru. 

“Iwa-chan! You’re awake!” 

“Tooru.” Tooru lets out a surprised gasp as Hajime collapses onto him, squeezing him tight. “They-- They looked like you. Demons. Like-- Like you, and Mattsun and Makki and Yahaba and-- and everyone-- and damn it, they looked so much like you.” 

Tooru rubs Hajime’s back comfortingly, not used to seeing his friend like this, and he takes in a shaky breath. “It’s ok, it wasn’t us--”

“I had to kill them.” Hajime whispers. “I had to-- You don’t want to look in their eyes. The eyes looked...” 

“Shh, it’s ok, we’re not dead,” Tooru coos; Hajime is sobbing now, gasping for breath, and Tooru fears he’s building up to something. “We’re not dead. Do you want me to call everyone over so you can see for yourself?” 

Hajime shakes his head. “I- I know...they’re not dead. But it-- I still killed them, you know?..” Tooru nods, though he doesn’t. “The one that looked like you-- I couldn’t kill it.” 

Tooru’s breath leaves him. “What?” 

“I couldn’t kill you. I wouldn’t. You’re too important to me. I couldn’t even stand the thought.” 

Tooru bites his lip, and looks down at Hajime. “G- Good.” He whispers. “Good. Because I wouldn’t kill you.” 

Hajime seems to calm down at Tooru’s words, and sighs in relief, loosening his hold on him. “Good.” He breathes. “Good.” 

The demon’s words still float in Hajime’s mind, but with Tooru there, they’re only a distant memory. Suddenly joy floods Hajime’s veins. He passed. He passed his final test. 

“Because you’re next, Shittykawa, and I’ll be watching.” 


End file.
